


Subtexts

by greyathena



Category: The Librarians (TV 2014)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-10
Updated: 2015-06-10
Packaged: 2018-04-03 20:16:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,618
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4113541
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/greyathena/pseuds/greyathena
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He did promise to text her.  He didn't promise it would always make sense.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Subtexts

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Fangirlishness](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fangirlishness/gifts).



The first text she got, from a New York number she didn't recognize, just said _Silver bullets in the desk drawer_. For a second she thought it was some kind of really weird spam, until the follow-up that said _Just in case_.

Ah. She took a moment to save the number under his name before texting back _Should I be worried that you're telling me this right now?_

_No just forgot to mention it  
We don't usually have guns_

Well. Okay. She still really hoped there were not going to be werewolves, seeing as her charges couldn't even defend themselves against her at this point (and there was no guarantee the silver bullets were the right caliber for her gun anyway), but he'd been gone two days so she supposed it was nice to know he was alive. Probably. She assumed if this was "here is some information you'll need because I'm about to die," he would have specified.

Her phone dinged again while she was deciding whether, or what, to reply.

_Miss you by the way_

Oh. Well now. Now she had to try not to blush while she looked at her phone, because that wouldn't make the others suspicious _at all_.

Biting her lip, she hastily texted back _You too_ and hit send before she could let herself think about it.

 

A couple days later, after the labyrinth and some awkward postgame heart-to-hearts with her team, she texted him again. _Would silver bullets have worked on minotaur?_

The reply came about ten minutes later. _Interesting question, doubt it_  
_Original minotaur cld be killed by normal weapons_  
 _Did you try_  
 _Wait a real minotaur?_

Laughing, she texted back _Real enough. Delayed reaction?_

Within seconds: _Everyone okay?_

Aw. _All good, just curious_ , she sent back. _Regular bullets just pissed it off. Gone now._

His next message was a picture of some leaves, two cows, and a cactus.

Um. _Flynn?_

_Sorry hit something funny_  
_I meant good_  
_Ps going to Romania_

 

That was it for a few days. The next message she received was a picture of what she was pretty sure was a piece of an exploded land mine. Followed by a picture of a very much unexploded one, with a closeup of writing stenciled on in white. A moment later, _this is us military code isnt it_

_Yes_ she sent back.  
_What does a landmine have to do with the library?  
Also get away from the landmine_

_Why us?_

The question confused her until she remembered his disregard for capital letters. _No idea._ That was a lie. But the Library was not a part of the U.S. government and she was pretty sure he didn't have the clearance to know the answer. And in any case: _What does this have to do with the library?_

_It's weird  
Weird things usually have to do with the library_

Well, he had her there.

_Please leave it alone and don't die._

_Good tip  
Ps any earthquakes there?_

_In Oregon?_ Then again - ninjas, in Oklahoma. _No_ , she typed.

_Okay maybe see you soon_

What did that mean? That he was actually planning on seeing them soon, or was it like when you told a bad date "sure, maybe I'll call you sometime"?

She didn't find out until he burst into the Annex looking like the Gorton's fisherman. He never did explain the land mines.

 

She usually tried not to text him unless he texted first - because they were in middle school, obviously - but after he kissed her and disappeared she was feeling inexplicably flirty. Well, maybe not inexplicably. Anyway she lasted about two hours before texting him: _So the vanishing act. Use that on all the girls?_

She might have bitten her lip for the entire three minutes it took him to answer.

_Only when I think I might not be able to leave otherwise_

Game, set, and match.

 

The next message she received from him was two days later, and it said _I bag beef dine cell_.

She squinted at it for a while before replying _are you okay?_

_Zucchini. X g cafe b f. Ffc. Dm_

Maybe his phone was malfunctioning? She tried one more time: _you okay?_

_b d you found just csmn_

_. . . are you drunk?_  
_did you get hit in the head?_  
_Flynn?_

There was no answer for a while. Then: _Okay hot phone where i can see itnow but only one hand_

Hot phone? _Hot phone?_

_Got_

She was slowly pulling some sense out of things. _Were you typing without looking at your phone before?_

_Yrs_

_. . . why?_

_I'm tied up._

Somehow she felt like she already knew the answer to the next question. _Literally?_

_Yup_  
_Phone was behind bank but I got if out_  
_Can teach Roth one hand_  
_kinda_

_So what were you saying about beef?_

_I may need some help_

Well, that much she probably could have figured out on her own. _Where are you?_ She assumed the reference to a bank had probably been a typo.

_Connecticut_

How unexotic. _Was that autocorrect or did you really mean Connecticut?_

_Really_  
_Meriden ask Jenkins to help_  
_Empty storefront industrial park near ski resort_

She sighed. _On my way. I hope none of that was autocorrected._

_Lay hurry hear guys Viking back_  
_Comic_  
_Coming_

That took a second to translate, but it sent her running for Jenkins.

Her phone dinged once more while she was waiting impatiently for him to set the back door.

_His huber again but in okay  
Hurts hurry_

There was only one guy there when she flung herself through the door, and he was surprised enough to see her emerge from a - closet? - that she had him unconscious within seconds. Flynn was tied rather tightly, with what looked like some kind of plastic plumbing line, to a chair. Her hands ran over his head, his face, and his shoulders before she started pulling at his bonds. "What hurts?" she asked frantically.

He frowned. "Nothing, I'm fine."

She was going to kill him. Leaving him half tied to the chair, she pulled out her phone and showed him the last text.

"Oh." He nodded at the screen. "That was supposed to be 'just hurry'. Sorry. I hid the phone behind my back again when he came in." Off her wordless glare, he added, "I'll apologize more, but there were other guys and they'll probably be back soon, so . . ."

Grumpily she pulled away the rest of the bonds and yanked him to his feet. "You couldn't just call?"

"They'd've heard me talking and taken the phone."

He had a point. As she had no intention of acknowledging it, she just dragged him back through into the Annex.

"Ah," Jenkins said when he saw them. "Good to see you, sir. I'm glad the Vikings didn't get you."

The novelty of Jenkins making a joke almost, _almost_ startled her out of her mood, but she had no intention of allowing that either, so she concentrated on glaring at Flynn as hard as she could.

Warily keeping his eyes on her, Flynn said, "Jenkins, we might need a second . . ."

Jenkins's gaze flickered briefly to Eve. "Try not to kill him on the marble."

"Noted," she replied.

She and Flynn both waited silently while Jenkins left. In this light, she could see that Flynn actually did have a substantial bruise forming on one side of his jaw, with a slightly bloody spot that had probably come from a ring. It made it hard to keep her gaze steely.

"I really am sorry," he said, coming toward her in a tentative sideways motion, like a crab, with hands up in front of him. "I scared you?"

" _Yes._ " She raised an eyebrow pointedly. "Next time, try to only text when you can actually see what you're doing?"

"Okay." He was still sidling closer, one hand still in its defensive posture, but the other gestured vaguely toward her chin. "I'm going to . . ."

His meaning was clear. She set her jaw and crossed her arms. "Are you."

He wasn't completely sure of himself ( _good_ ), but she wasn't swinging yet, so he kept approaching. He reached out and brushed his knuckles under her chin, gently tipping her toward him. After rolling her eyes at him once for good measure, she closed them and let him kiss her, and gave herself permission to be kissed.

She did not give herself permission to sigh audibly while he was kissing her. That happened on its own.

When they separated, she ran her fingers very lightly over the bruise on his jaw. "You should get some ice on this."

"I have to try getting back to Connecticut," he said regretfully. "There's an archaeological site . . ."

"Yeah." She'd expected that wasn't over. "Do you want help?"

"I want company." He held her gaze with his until she felt herself starting to blush. "But I'll be okay. Now I know who to avoid."

"Anyone who enjoys bondage?"

He leaned in and kissed her again, this time sliding an arm around her waist. "This might be almost the last piece," he said. "Then I might need your help, all of you."

"Okay. Text me if you need us. With your eyes open."

He smiled.

Belatedly she realized she was gripping his jacket, which she'd taken hold of while he was kissing her. She let go and watched him adjust the back door before (hopefully) stepping through into a slightly different part of Connecticut.

 

His next text said _Undiscovered tomb near Luxor, meet me with lots?_

Unless he meant some kind of gambling or divining instrument . . . _Lots of what?_

_Sorry. LITs._

Oh. At least the clippings book was quiet at the moment. "Guys?" she called. "I think we're going to Egypt."


End file.
